Malapropism

/ˈmæləprɒpɪzəm/ noun

Definition

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with comical effect, as in 'dance a flamingo' for 'dance a flamenco.'

Etymology

From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's 1775 play 'The Rivals,' who constantly mangled language. Her name comes from French 'mal à propos' (inappropriate).

Kelly Says

Named after a fictional lady who said 'allegory on the banks of the Nile' instead of 'alligator!' Now EVERYONE'S verbal stumbles have her name! 'For all intensive purposes' = malapropism! ('Intents and purposes!' 😂) 🎭

Translations

AMአማርኛ
መለወጫ ቃል
me-le-woch-ia qaal
ARالعربية
خطأ في الاستخدام
kha-ta fi al-isti-khaam
BNবাংলা
ভুল শব্দ ব্যবহার
bhul shobdo boha-har
CACatalà
malapropisme
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
CSČeština
malapropismus
mah-lah-proh-pee-smoos
DADansk
malapropisme
mah-lah-proh-pee-smoh
DEDeutsch
Malapropismus
mah-lah-proh-pee-soo-mus
ELΕλληνικά
καταφασις
kata-fa-sis
ESEspañol
malapropismo
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
FAفارسی
اشتباه در لفظ
esh-te-bah dar lafz
FISuomi
malapropismi
mah-lah-proh-pee-smi
FRFrançais
malapropisme
mah-lah-proh-pee-smoh
GUGU
લેખન ભૂલ
lekhan bhul
HAHA
amfani da kalma da gangan
am-fa-ni da ka-l-ma da gan-gan
HEעברית
שימוש מוטעה במילים
shi-mush mo-ta-ah be-me-e-lim
HIहिन्दी
गलत शब्द का प्रयोग
galat shabd ka prayog
HUMagyar
malapropizmus
mah-lah-proh-pee-zoo-mus
IDBahasa Indonesia
penggunaan kata yang salah
peng-gunaan ka-ta yang sah-lah
IGIG
ihe oyi
ee-heh oy-ee
ITItaliano
malapropismo
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
JA日本語
誤用
ごよう
KKKK
қате сөздер
kate sozder
KMKM
ប្រើពាក្យខុស
preu pe-ak-khus
KO한국어
말장난
mal-jang-nan
MRMR
शब्दाचा चुकी
shab-daacha chu-kee
MSBahasa Melayu
penggunaan kata yang salah
peng-gunaan ka-ta yang sah-lah
MYမြန်မာ
စကားလုံးများ အကြောင်း ပြော စကား
ska-kar-loh-ma-yar ah-kya-ng pyau ska-kar
NLNederlands
malapropisme
mah-lah-proh-pee-smoh
NONorsk
malapropisme
mah-lah-proh-pee-smoh
PAPA
शब्दाच्या चुकी
shab-da-chya chu-kee
PLPolski
malapropizm
mah-lah-proh-pee-zizm
PTPortuguês
malapropismo
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
RORomână
malapropism
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
RUРусский
малопропизм
malopro-pizm
SVSvenska
malapropism
mah-lah-proh-pee-smo
SWKiswahili
kutoka maneno
koo-toh-kah ma-ne-no
TAதமிழ்
சொல் தவறு
sol tha-varu
TEతెలుగు
పదాల తప్పు
pa-da-la tap-pu
THไทย
การใช้คำผิด
gaan chai kam phit
TLTL
malingam na paggamit ng salita
mah-lee-ngam na pa-gam-it ng sa-li-ta
TRTürkçe
yanlış kelime kullanımı
yan-lish ke-leh-meh koo-shu-na-mee
UKУкраїнська
малопропізм
malopro-pizm
URاردو
غلط لفظ
ghalat lafz
VITiếng Việt
lạm dụng từ
lam-dung tu
YOYO
àgbà ìgbà
ah-g-bah ee-g-bah
ZH中文
错用
cuò yòng
ZUZU
ukuthiwe ngomusa
oo-koo-thee-weh ngom-oo-sah

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.